A year-round outdoor skating rink opens to the public Friday afternoon, part of a project to revitalize an underused street in Forest Lawn. The synthetic ice rink, located on a block of 32nd Street S.E. along 17th Avenue, is designed for regular skates and will serve as a community gathering space.
Transforming a forgotten corner
The project is part of ongoing improvements to a 35-block section of 17th Avenue S.E., known as International Avenue. The revamped street features a colorful and unconventional community space, including retail space for pop-up shops and a mural by local artist Paula Timm.
“We’ve had this street for a long time. It used to be filled with dumpsters, and no one was really walking down it,” said Alison Karim-McSwiney, executive director of the International Avenue BRZ. With a grant from the city, the organization transformed a forgotten corner into something useful and unique.
Synthetic ice and community events
“We have actually found a synthetic skating rink that you can use your regular skates on,” Karim-McSwiney said. The street will also host events and serve as a retail incubator for small businesses not ready to commit to long-term leases. The grand opening event Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. features live music, food, skaters, and artists selling their work.
“It exudes warmth because of the care that’s been given to it. It was a problem area that we’ve totally changed. We’ve made it colorful. We’ve made it unique. And, frankly, I would say it’s pretty innovative,” she said. “You’re not going to find an outdoor skating rink year-round that has synthetic ice outside on a former street.”
A long history of improvement
The International Avenue initiative began in the 1990s, and there have been many improvements since then. “We’ve come a long way. I remember when there weren’t even sidewalks here,” Karim-McSwiney said. “The infrastructure was substandard. It was a small town before, and the city didn’t invest in this area. When we came on board, our main job was to make sure that this area is as good, if not better, than other parts of the city.”
The area is home to many small businesses, artists, and a lot of diversity. “It’s a very special area. There’s a lot of uniqueness that we need to celebrate,” she added. In 2017, International Avenue BRZ unveiled $176 million in street improvements that had been in the works for years. “The street itself, the infrastructure, is beautiful, and so we just continue to progress,” Karim-McSwiney said. “We’ll continue to identify areas that are not functioning like they should and make it into something even better.”
Another recent project was Unity Park, which is still undergoing finishing touches, and plans for a new pollinator garden are underway. The BRZ also maintains the areas it owns, from lights to banners to flowers, and works with businesses to make other improvements.
